An Unexpected Visit COMPLETED
by Dane
Summary: AngelLabyrinthBuffy crossover Sarah goes to visit cousin Cordilia and Jareth comes along too. Please review :


Okay people. This is my second fanfiction. I did this story on the request of a friend.  
Hope you enjoy!  
  
Ok, now for the drill:  
All characters Buffy belong to mutant enemy productions  
All characters Angel belong to the same company  
All characters Labyrinth belong to Henson productions  
the only character I really made up is Dominick  
  
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An Unexpected Visit  
***********************************************************************************  
  
  
The morning sun shone in through the window and onto Sarah's head. Grumbling, Sarah rolled over to her side trying to keep the sun out of her eyes. She tried to go back to her dream but to no avail. The dream wouldn't come back. Well, at least not until night time. Sarah finally pulled herself out of bed and walked over to the mirror.  
  
Sitting down, she picked up a brush and started to work on her long black hair. She was half expecting for one of her friends' image to just appear in the mirror. She smiled at the thought. She had just seen them last night and already she missed them.  
  
Sarah's thoughts were interrupted as she heard a rap on her door, "Come in." The door opened and there stood Karen.   
Sarah turned towards her step-mother, "Good Morning."   
Karen eyed her new behavior suspisciously. "Breakfast is ready Sarah, You may want to eat up before we go."   
"Go?" Sarah asked. She didn't know of any trips.   
"Well, sure Sarah, Your father and I want to take you to the mall today and get you some new clothes. You have grown during the past year."   
Sarah looked at her step-mother, "Ok." Karen smiled and closed the door as she left.  
  
Sarah walked over to her closet to pull out her clothes for the day. She had worn her favorite outfit yesterday and had to settle for jeans and a white t-shirt. She quickly changed and was about to leave when she heard a faint sound.  
  
She looked over to her dresser and saw her music box playing. "I don't remember turning it on today...", Sarah thought as she saw the figurine dance. the closer she came to the music box, the louder it became. A faint voice began singing gently and gradually became louder.  
  
Soon, the voice was behind her. She turned around to see the owner of the voice. The Goblin King was standing a foot behind her.  
  
************************************  
  
Jareth looked down to Sarah's face. "Hello Sarah.", he cooed.   
Sarah couldn't believe it, "Jareth?! What are you doing here?...I beat you."   
  
Jareth smiled at the question, "Who said the game ended?", he teased, "Think of my Labyrinth more as a first round."   
Sarah steped back from the faye quickly. "You are not going to touch Toby again!", she said defiantly.   
  
Jareth's smile only widened. "You're right."  
  
"I am?"  
  
Jareth looked at Sarah's confused look, "Yes you are right. We are playing for something else now."  
  
Sarah did not like where this was going. "Then, what are we playing for?", she asked reluctantly. She looked into the Goblin King's mismatched eyes. They seemed serious.  
  
He answered her question in one word,   
  
"You."  
  
************************************  
  
Sarah jumped at that answer. She began to notice Jareth was circling her. He began to chuckle, "You see Sarah, you intrigue me. You are so different from the others who entered my Labyrinth. I couldn't bear for you to just have one challenge from me."   
  
Jareth studied Sarah's face. He knew he had struck a chord with her. What amazed him is her refusal to display her emotion to him.  
  
Sarah couldn't stay silent any longer, "So what now? Another Labyrinth?"  
  
Jareth admired her directness, "No. This game starts here. In your world. Where it ends depends on us."  
  
"So what is the game?"  
  
Jareth gave a michevous grin, "That is for you to find out for yourself."  
  
"SARAH!", a voice from downstairs rang out. Sarah turned to the door. "Coming!" she yelled through the door. She turned to where Jareth was, "So..."  
  
Jareth was no longer there.  
************************************  
  
Sarah looked through the clothes rack looking for a sweater, "How about this one?", she asked Karen, pointing out the sweater she had found. Karen looked at it and frowned, "I don't know...do you like it?" "Yes." "Well, ok." After the sweater was purchased, they walked out the department store and into the main part of the mall.  
  
"Sarah, how would you like to visit your cousin for the summer?", her father asked suddenly.   
Sarah was perplexed, "Cordy? Why?"   
Her father looked flustered, "Well, Cordy wrote to us a few days ago and told us about how she got a new apartment and a good job. She asked if you would like to visit over the summer. She said that she could get you a well paying summer job if you want one."  
  
Sarah realized why Karen had wanted to shop for clothes so early. She wanted to get this done with so there was less of a hassle to ship her off to Los Angeles. "Could I think about it?", she asked her father.   
"Of course dear.", he smiled.  
  
The family walked a little further until they came to the entrance of a bookshop. Karen had decided to have coffee at the bookstore's café. Her father followed Karen. Sarah, who didn't feel like coffee or hot chocolate at the time decided to instead browse around the bookstore. Naturally the first section Sarah explored was the fantasy section.  
  
She looked for a book written by an author whose works she had been interested in for a while. There was only one copy of his newest book. She looked into her purse and counted her money. Satisfied that she had enough to buy it, when reached towards the book. As she reached for the book, another hand reached for it. The hands touched.  
  
Sarah looked at the hand that covered her own. Naturally she would have pulled it away but the warmth of the hand felt good. She looked at the hands owner and took a quick breath when she saw the man's face.  
************************************  
  
"Jareth!", She wispered harshly to the man who still held her hand, "What are you doing here?!" Sarah looked over Jareth. Instead of his usual tights, he wore jeans. Tight jeans, but jeans nontheless. He had on a plain blue dress shirt on and his hair was held back by a baseball cap.   
  
His mismatched eyes looked into Sarah's. "I'm just looking at books.", he said, trying to sound innocent.   
Sarah knew he was lying. "You're following me!", she said accusingly to the Goblin King.   
He just smiled, "But of course... what else would I be doing here?"  
  
Sarah was angry . She snatched her hand away from his and quickly walked away from the still smiling faye. She entered the café and sat next to her dad.   
  
Her dad lowered his coffee and looked at her daughter's facial expression. She looked angry.  
"What happened?", he asked.  
  
Sarah didn't answer that question. She turned to her father.   
"I've decided to take Cordy up on that offer."  
************************************  
  
The demon hissed at the tall, brown haired man as he hit it from behind. It jumped away from the wall and went after him. That was the last thing it would ever do. The man pulled out a broad sword and with one swing, cut off the creature's head.  
  
An even younger man with black hair ran over to the buy with the sword, "That fight took longer than I thought it would, Angel!"   
Angel looked at him, "Sometimes fatigue will slow you down, Doyle."   
Doyle rolled his eyes, "So you're telling me that you were having trouble with a ranmay demon just beecause you were tired? Naw, I think you are just getting to old for this game."   
Angel smiled, "I guess over two centuries is a long time for a half demon like you."  
  
Doyle was about to snap back with a nasty comment when Angel interrupted the silence, "Weren't we supposed to meet Cordy in the office at 11?"  
************************************  
  
Doyle and Angel trudged into the office. Cordieila was on the phone and didn't seem to notice their being late. They waited for her to hang up. "Who was that?" Doyle asked Cordielia when she hung up.  
  
Cordelia smiled. "That was my Uncle. He called to tell me that my cousin Sarah would be able to visit for the summer."   
Angel nodded, "That's great Cordy, where is she staying?"  
  
"At my apartment."  
  
Doyle looked up from a file, "You mean she is staying at YOUR apartment?! Think about it. You already share the apartment with a ghost. What if she freaks?"   
Cordielia gives out an exaperated sigh, "She's from New York. She's probably seen stranger things. She might freak out for a little while but not for long."   
  
Cordielia looked at Angel, "By the way Angel, aren't you in the need for some more help in the paper work sense?" Angel nodded. For some reason there has been an increased amount of customers for the past few weeks and it looked like it would be like that all summer. Angel had commented to Cordielia about hiring another person on a temporary basis. Apparently she had took it upon herself to find the new employee. Now if she could only take it upon herself to organize the files.  
  
Angel sighed, "Let me guess, you want me to hire your cousin?" Cordielia nodded. "She is very responsible. Although she does get too involved with her books." Angel shrugged and gave Cordielia permission to hire her cousin.  
************************************  
  
Sarah walked down the sidewalk towards her home carrying the bag of groceries she picked up for Karen. As she walked by some bushes, a voice came out.   
"Hello Sarah.", the voice purred, "You miss me?" Sarah almost dropped the bag she was holding when she realized who said that. Sarah turned around and found Jareth dressed almost the same way he was dressed in the bookstore.   
  
"What do you want Jareth?", Sarah asked, getting to the point quickly.   
Jareth looked at Sarah, "I told you that already... I want you."  
  
Sarah didn't know why, but she felt the urge to run. She supressed that thought and just walked...quickly.  
  
"I know about your plans to visit your cousin," Jareth continued. Sarah looked at him. "I am okay with your visiting relatives but don't let that make you think that I will forget about you. Or... of our game."  
  
With that Jareth vanished, leaving Sarah to think of his words. what is the game?  
************************************  
  
Sarah dropped off the groceries in the kitchen and ran upstairs. Closing the door, she began to pack. As she packed, she noticed the music box and book on her dresser. Impulsively she stuffed the items in her suitcase. It was better if she kept her eyes on these things right?  
  
Soon after she finished packing, she decided to get some sleep. Her flight was tommorow and she needed to rest. She got into bed and gradually fell asleep.  
  
As she slept a figure appeared in her room....  
************************************  
  
Doyle rolled his eyes. He had been in the airport for over an hour and Cordeilia was still talking. "I can't wait! You'll just love her Doyle! She's so nice and wonderful!" Doyle looked at Cordeilia. She obviously was excited about her cousin coming. Doyle smiled. Cordielia looked so cute when she was excited. She could have been talking about produce and he would still listen to her.   
  
"I'm sure I'll like her Cordielia, By the way... how old is she anyway?"   
  
Cordielia did some math, "Well she will be starting her sophomore year next so that would make her 16. Well 15 right now but 16 in a week."  
Doyle inwardly groaned. A 16 year old in Los Angeles away from her parents...just great. Of course, her being from New York may have taught her how to handle strange situations. Doyle didn't know what to make of the situation.  
  
Cordielia looked towards the incoming crowd from Sarah's flight. She then smiled and ran into the oncoming group. "Sarah!"  
  
Doyle watched as Cordiela stopped by a girl with long black hair and a large smile on her face. "Well, they look related," Doyle thought to himself. He then noticed Sarah's clothes. Basic jeans and a T-shirt. She apparantly chose comfort over fashion. Surprisingly she looked good in it. "Must be a family trait.", he thought to himself. He started to walk towards the two.  
  
"Doyle, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is Doyle.", Cordielia said as she introduced the two.   
Sarah smiled and shook Dayle's hand, "Nice to meet you."   
Doyle liked her already, "The pleasure's mine. Really."  
  
Sarah walked over to the baggage claim and returned carrying two suitcases. The three walked out and got into a black corvette. Angel had lent the car to Doyle and Cordielia that day.  
As Doyle was driving, Sarah turned to Cordielia, "I thought you said another guy was coming as well..." Cordielia looked at her cousin, "Oh, Angel, he says he's sorry for not coming but something came up. (Yeah, like the sun.) Don't worry, you'll meet him tonight. He's more of a nightowl anyway."  
  
As the car stopped at a light, Sarah looked at the stores lining the street. Yes, this was very much like New York. She smiled at the thought. Something caught her attention as she scanned the shops. She stared at the back of one man who was currently looking at a window display.  
  
He was dressed like most of the other people around him but the blonde strands of hair sticking out of his cap had caught her attention. She stared as the man turned around...  
************************************  
  
The light turned green and Doyle started to drive off. Sarah turned back to the front. She did not recognize the guy's face. She felt a feeling of relief and yet disapointment. "What's wrong with me?... I'm starting to imagine Jareth where he isn't."   
  
Cordielia looked at her younger cousin. She sure is quiet...   
Must be jet lag.  
************************************  
  
Cordielia opened the door to her apartment, "Here we are!", she said to Sarah, "My home."  
Sarah stepped into the apartment after Cordielia. Doyle followed, dragging the suitcases in.   
"It's beautiful!", Sarah exlaimed as she walked around, "How could you afford this?"   
Cordielia smiled, "It was easy."   
"Yeah," Doyle added, "Her roommate made it easy for her."  
  
Sarah looked at Cordielia, "Roommate?"   
Cordielia looked at Doyle angrily, "Yes. But he's practically invisible." Sarah was intrigued by Cordielia's comment and was about to ask her what she meant by it when she saw her bags move into her new room.  
  
"What the...?", Sara started as she pointed at the floating bags. The other two turned to look at where she was pointing. "Umm Sarah, meet my roommate, Don't worry, he's friendly.", ordilia rushed, forgetting how she had told Doyle how Sarah would understand.  
  
She thought about the situation and compared it to her experiene in the Labyrinth. This was a cakewalk compared to that. Sarah smiled and spoke in the direction of the bags, "Hello. Thanks for carrying my bags."  
  
Cordielia and Doyle looked at each other. They were surprised at how well she had taken it.  
************************************  
  
Doyle sat on Sarah's bed and watched as she and Cordielia both unpacked the suitcases. From what he saw of her clothes, he figured that unlike Cordielia, she valued comfort above anything else. Like Cordielia, the clothes were in good taste.   
  
He then watched as an invisible hand put up a poster that Sarah had bought as they were leaving the airport. He looked at the picture. The scene contained images of stairs and doorways going in different directions. Doyle didn't know the title of the work but he recognized the style used. Escher always had interesting artwork.  
  
Sarah looked at the poster. She was not sure why she bought it but she felt the urge to purchase it. The poster was the same one as she had at home. But why would she want to see the image over here after her ordeal in the Escher room just last week? She blinked and looked away from it.  
  
Soon the suitcases were empty and her room looked somewhat like one she would have. Her book and music box found a home on one dresser and her hair items were on the other dresser.  
  
Doyle pointed to his watch, "Okay girls, Angel should be ready by now." The three walked out of the room and towards the apartment door.  
************************************  
  
For the first time in two hundred years, Angel felt sick. He just got back from fighting another demon which was, unfortunately, one of the messiest ones he ever fought. The smell alone would have made any human sick. Fortunately for him, since he didn't need to breath, he could hold his breath for the longest time.   
  
Too bad he could feel the ooze that ended up all over him when the creature exploded... The first thing he did when he got home was take a shower. He did not want to meet Cordielia's cousin while he was covered in that stuff.  
************************************  
  
Sarah stepped into the office of Angel investigations followed by Doyle and Cordilia. "Angel! We're here!", Doyle called out. He turned to Sarah "He's probably in his room, he'll be up soon."  
  
As if on cue, the three's attention was caught by the sound of an elevator. Sarah looked over to the source of the sound and watched as a man in his twenties got out of the elevator. His dark hair was wet.  
  
The man stepped towards the girl and extended his hand, "You must be Sarah." She nodded. "My name's Angel", the guy continued, "Sorry I couldn't come and see you at the airport. Something I couldn't control came up..."   
Sarah smiled, "It's okay."   
"So...", Angel said, trying to fill the silence, "Did Cordy mention to you about a job being available?" Sarah once again nodded, "She did but she hasn't told me what the job is."  
  
Cordielia took this as a hint, "The job is basically filing and doing research for Angel."   
A thought occured to Sarah, "Do we deal with things kind of like your roommate?"   
"Well, yes.", Cordielia answered reluctantly, "Why do you ask?"   
"Well, I like to know what I'm getting into.", She saw Cordielia's disapointed look, "Don't worry though... I'll take the job."  
************************************  
  
Sarah sighed as she put some more files in order. She couldn't believe how Cordielia managed to find anything in that mess.  
  
Cordielia walked in the room, "Hey Sarah, do you want to go shopping with me?", Cordielia asked. "Sure Cordy." Sarah said with a smile. She needed a break anyway. Cordielia smiled back and walked towards a door.  
  
Cordielia barged into Angel's office, "I'm taking Sarah shopping see you in a few hours."   
"Uh..ok."   
Cordilia turned to her cousin, "Let's go."  
  
Angel watched as the two left. "They may dress differently but the sure think the same," he thought to himself as he walked to the file cabinet. He opened it and was surprised to see most of it organized right, "On the other hand, perhaps not."  
************************************  
  
"Oh Sarah! Look at this!", Cordielia exclaimed gleefuly as she pointed at the jewelry case. Sarah walked over and peered at the one her cousin was pointing at.   
"It's lovely."   
"I so want it!" Cordielia said lovingly. She then looked at the price tag. "Perhaps not," she added.   
Sarah laughed at Cordielia's reaction. "Maybe we should stick with discount stores.", Sarah teased. The laughing stopped as Sarah noticed something out of the corner of her eye.  
  
She looked over to a porcelain figurine collection and gasped. She practically ran over to get a better look. Cordielia peered over Sarah's shoulder to see what she was looking at.  
  
Inside the case was a figurine of a couple dancing. Cordielia noticed that the girl looked like the figure on Sarah's music box. She looked at the male figure next. He had the strangest hair. The blonde hair looked like it was stolen from Tina Turner during the '8os. Her attention then snapped to Sarah. She saw her cousin reluctantly walking away from the case.   
  
Cordilia watched her cousin walk off and then back at the figurine. Cordilia then smiled at an idea that came into her mind. "Excuse me sir", Cordielia tapped the shoulder of an employee. The man turned around. "How much is that?", she pointed at the figurine.   
The man looked at the figurine and smiled, "It's a good deal, only $25."   
Cordielia was surprised at the price, "Really?...Why?"  
  
Without speaking the man picked up the figurine and pointed at the eyes of the man. They were mismatched.  
************************************  
  
Angel looked at Sarah as she walked in. "Where's Cordielia?", he asked.  
Sarah put down her purse. "She wanted to run some errands, so I took the bus.", she looked around, "Where's Doyle?"  
"He's tracking down some friends who owe him a favor."   
Silence.  
"So...um...", Angel started. He didn't want much awkward silence right now, "How do you like L.A.so far?"  
"I like it a lot. Its great to have a break from my family."  
Angel tried to come up with another question One instantly appeared in his mind... "Sarah, you took the idea of demons existing pretty well, why is that?"  
Sarah wasn't ready for this question, "Well... I...have seen too many strange things to dismiss that possibility."  
Angel was becoming more interested in this topic. "What have you seen?"  
  
Sarah looked up suddenly with an expression of shock, as if she was caught doing something illegal. Angel wondered what she was hiding.  
  
Sarah didn't look away from Angel's glance. This was the first time she had seen his face up close. His eyes captivated her. Something in those eyes showed that he had seen many things. They weren't old looking just... experienced. Kind of like...  
Jareth's.  
  
Sarah looked away quickly and stepped back. Angel straightened up and looked at Sarah. He saw a look of recognition on her face before she had turned away. "Sarah? What's wrong?"  
  
Sarah turned to look at Angel, avoiding the look of his eyes, "Nothing."   
Angel knew she was lying, "Sarah what is wrong? You look like you saw a ghost!"   
"Well...your eyes remind me of someone. He had the same look in his eyes."  
A thought occurred to Sarah. There maybe a reason why Angel's eye looked like Jareth's...  
  
Sarah looked again into Angel's eyes. "You're not normal are you?...Not human.?"  
  
Angel looked surprised at the question and considered whether to tell her or not. He chose the way of truth. "It's true. Sarah, I'm not in my late twenties... It's more like my late two hundreds."   
  
Angel had expected her to be shocked angry or even scared. But she was not one of the three. "I'm a vampire." Still no reaction.  
  
"Sarah?", Angel started once more, wishing for some sort of reaction. (Oh god, what if she is in shock?), "You do know what a vampire is, don't you?"  
"Yes."  
Angel was confused, "And you're okay with this?"  
Sarah smiled, "Yes I am okay with this. If Cordielia has reason to trust you, then I do too." Angel managed a smile.  
************************************  
  
Sarah sat in her room staring at the Escher poster hanging on her wall. Cordielia looked through the doorway at her unhappy cousin. What was wrong with her? Most people are happy on their birthday.  
  
Cordielia glanced at the clock in the hallway. Almost time for Angel and Doyle to arrive. She smiled. Sarah couldn't remain sad after the party they were going to throw! She thought of the gift she got her and glanced at a nicely wrapped gift on the table.  
  
Next to it was a wrapped gift in pure white paper. Cordielia had taken it out of Sarah's suitcase when she was unpacking. Her parents must have snuck the gift into the suitcase when Sarah wasn't around. Sarah didn't seem to know about the package at all.  
  
Cordielia heard a knock and saw to people enter. "You're late." Cordielia said accusingly.   
"Sorry, " Angel apologized, "We had a delay with the cake." Angel put the cake down on the table and watched Cordielia walk to Sarah's room. Soon, the two cousins were in the living room with the two demons.  
  
"Happy Birthday!" They yelled to Sarah. Sarah started to smile. She was not going to think of the Labyrinth anytime soon. As the group finished eating the cake, Cordielia jumped up.   
"Present time!" She said excitedly.  
  
Angel went first. "Here you go.", he said as he handed a small gift to Sarah. Sarah unwrapped the gift and opened a small box. Inside was a beautiful necklace which must have cost a fortune.   
Angel smiled at the look on Sarah's face, "I got that piece during the Great depression it didn't cost much."   
Sarah looked at Angel, "Thank you! I love it." Without thinking, she gave him a big hug.  
  
Doyle went next and gave her a rectangular gift. Sarah opened it up and pulled out a jewelry box. On the top was the carving of a rose. "Thank you Doyle. ", she said as she put the necklace gently into the jewelry box.  
  
Cordielia was excited, "Here's my gift!" Sarah looked at the delicately wrapped package and smiled. What ever it was, Cordielia sure had spent time on it. Sarah slowly opened the gift, trying to preserve the wrapping paper. She pulled the figurine out and looked at it. When she realized what it was, she put it down quickly. Sarah couldn't believe it. Why did Cordilia buy this for her? Her mind went back to the day in the jewelrey store.  
  
Sarah smiled. This was just a coincidence. Cordeilia would not have bought it if she had thought that Sarah didn't like it. She looked at Cordeilia's happy look  
  
"Thank you.", Sarah said, relaxing a little, "well, I better get this stuff to my room now." Sarah commented to her friends.   
Cordielia jumped up, "Wait! You forgot to open up the one from your parents."   
Sarah turned around. Her parents actually sent her something?  
She looked at the present held up before her and had a strange feeling about the gift. She reluctantly opened it. Inside was a crystal.   
  
Doyle looked over Sarah's shoulder to see the gift, "Strange gift."   
Sarah agreed. Why would her parents give her a fake crystal? It didn't make sense.  
  
Doyle looked over to Angel and noticed that he was staring at the crystal intently. Cordielia looked over at Angel and waived her hand in front of his face, "Cut it out Angel." Angel looked at Cordilia as if she had woken him out of a trance. "Sorry."  
  
Sarah yawned, "Speaking of being sorry... I got to get some sleep. See you tommorow ok?" The remaining three said good night and watched as Sarah disappeared into her bedroom.  
  
Angel looked at Cordilia, "I got to go as well, sun rise and all, you know." Cordielia nodded and watched as the two demons left. She closed the door.  
************************************  
  
The two men walked the streets in silence. Doyle looked at Angel and studied his face, "Angel?"   
The Vampire looked at the half-demon, "What?"   
"What did you see in the crystal?"  
Angel kept walking, "I saw nothing Doyle."  
"But why did you act so interested in that crystal?"  
Angel didn't speak for a little while. When they stepped into Angel's home, Angel turned to Doyle.   
"It wasn't what I saw, Doyle. It was what I felt."  
************************************  
  
Sarah lay awake on her bed. She tried sleeping but couldn't Her mind was on the crystal she had received. The figurine alone, she could have dismissed as a coincidence, but the crystal as well? She thought not.  
  
Sarah got up and walked to her dresser. She picked up the figurine and looked over the male's face. It looked like Jareth. Looking at the mismatched eyes, Sarah sighed. Jareth did have something to do with this. She thought of the last words he said to her, "...don't let that make you think that I will forget about you. Or... of our game."  
  
Sarah put the figurine down. Is this the game he was talking about? Was he just trying to confuse her for his purpose? Or could it be he was doing it for some other reason?  
  
She turned her head towards the window. The sky was unusually clear for a night in Los Angeles and she could make out a star. "I wish..." Sarah said to the lone star, "I wish I could find someone who could understand my problem."  
************************************  
  
Jareth smiled as he heard Sarah's plea. "Looks like Sarah is ready for the next round." Chuckling to himself, he conjured up a crystal.. "And now," he says raising the crystal to his eyes, "to grant Sarah her wish."   
  
He peers into a crystal and sees a blonde girl running around a graveyard and fighting some creatures. He considered getting someone else after witnessing some of the creatures turning to ash but then thought of his other option. No, he didn't want HIM to spend more time with Sarah. Jareth sighed. Oh well, Buffy Summers it is.  
************************************  
  
Xander and Giles looked up when they heard a door slam. Buffy and Willow walked into her room. "How was your night Buffy?", Giles asked his student. Buffy slumped into a chair, "Boring." Giles put down the book he was reading onto the coffee table, careful to leave it on the same page he had been reading at the time.   
"Oh really?"  
"Yeah, only three vamps showed up tonight. Staked 'em good."  
  
Giles looked at the Slayer with a knowledgeable look on his face, "I believe your work will be light for the next few weeks. For some reason this time of year produces few if any vampires. Perhaps you should take advantage of this and get some rest."  
  
Buffy thought about it for a while, "So what your telling me is that this is my vacation from work?"  
"Pretty much, the rest of us can handle a few vampires. Besides, it would be good for you to get a break from your slayer duties."  
  
Buffy smiled, "Well then, in light of my new found freedom, I'm going to go home and sleep for a long time.  
  
Buffy walked out of Gile's home leaving the other three to talk amongst themselves. Willow noticed the book on Gile's coffee table. "What are you reading?" She asked Giles as she scanned the pages.  
  
He looked down at the book he had laid out. He had forgotten all about it. "It is a book laying out timelines that affect certain demons."   
"Like vampires," Willow finished, "Wait a minute... Giles, what language is this?"   
"Actually, it is a combination of two languages. It took me two weeks to figure out as much as I did."   
"So, are you going to get help reading it?", Xander asked.   
Giles looked up at the curious boy, "Of course. And I know the people who can help."  
************************************  
  
"Mom!, I'm home!" Ms. Summers looked to her daughter. "You're home early. Something happen?" Buffy walked into the kitchen. "Oh nothing much," she said as she made a sandwich, "I get a week of vacation from slaying."  
  
Ms. Summers smiled, "Great! That means you can come with me on my business trip . That is if you still want to." Buffy smiled, "Of course I'll come."  
************************************  
  
Sarah looked at the stranger that was waiting in the doorway of Angel investigations. She then looked axiously at the clock. Cordielia should be here soon.  
  
She sighed. The man didn't look dangerous but she learned a while back that things are not always what they seem. For all she knew, the tall, brown haired man with the glasses could be a killer.  
  
Cordielia walked in and looked at the stranger. "Giles! What are you doing here?!", She said with a big smile on her face.  
  
The thin man smiled, "Hello Cordilia. I am waiting to see Angel about ahh...", he remembered about the girl standing on the other end of the room, "...buisness purposes."   
"You can talk freely in front of my cousin, she even knows about Angel.", Cordielia said to the reluctant man. A frown came upon Cordilia's face, "So what is it? Demon?...Warlock?...Super Vampire?"..."   
  
Sarah's attention was drawn by the well built man who entered. "Hello Giles. What brings you here?", Angel asks the watcher.  
"I need help from you and your books in translating this difficult passage from one of my books. Also, I need to keep an eye on Buffy."  
  
Angel's head looked up quickly, "Buffy's here?"  
************************************  
  
Buffy looked at the indian mask her mother held up. "What's that?", she asked. Ms. Summers looked at Buffy with a look of surprise on her face, "You don't know?" Buffy felt uncomfortable, "Uh.. no, mom. I don't study this stuff." "Oh, well, its a tribal mask used for harvest ceremonies. I'm surprised it is in such good condition. It would be perfect for the museum display."  
  
As her mother went to secure the mask, Buffy looked out the store window on to the Los Angeles skyline. It looked so nice. She felt the urge to go outside.   
Uh mom?"  
"What dear?"  
"I think I'll go for a walk for a little while."  
Ms. Summers didn't like it but what was she to do about it? Her daughter was the slayer and she could take care of herself.  
"Ok Buffy, take care."  
  
Buffy walked out into the cold air and strolled down the street. It felt good letting the breeze brush against her face.  
  
About a block later, Buffy noticed a shadow. Instinctively, Buffy pulled out a stake and crept to the side of the building and got ready to jump on the shadowy figure.  
  
She turned the corner quickly and found nothing. She looked around cautiously to make sure that it was not a trap. Still nothing. Buffy shrugged her shoulders and walked away from the alley.  
  
Unknown to the slayer, a pair of mismatched eyes followed her every move. After being sure that it wasn't seen, the white owl spreads its wings and flies from rooftop to rooftop, keeping an eye on the blonde girl.  
************************************  
  
Sarah was at the computer. Yawning, she pressed the save command and shut of the computer. She wished for Angel, Doyle or Cordeilia to come back from Gile's hotel room.  
  
She looked at her watch. 2 a.m. Great. They had been gone for three hours and she was getting impatient. She walked around the room several times, trying to come up with something else to think about. Maybe she should have gone with them after all. she was invited before but she had opted not to so she could get a head start on her work.  
  
With a sigh of frustration, Sarah grabbed her coat and walked to the door. She wanted to go back to Cordielia's apartment and didn't want to wait for someone to walk with her. Besides, Giles said there was a vampire shortage so there would hardly be a risk at all.  
  
Sarah reached for the doorknob and stopped when she saw the knob turn by itself. Someone was trying to come in. Sarah picked up a heavy book and got in a position to throw it. The door opened and Sarah relaxed when she saw who it was.  
  
"Is Angel Here?" The blonde asked. Sarah put the book down.   
"He is over at a friend's hotel room right now.", Sarah looked at the girl, "Are you Buffy?"  
The Slayer smiled, "Yes I am. Why do you ask?"   
"Well, Giles told us..."  
"Giles?", Buffy interrupted, "What is he doing here?"  
"Watching out for you."  
"Oh."  
  
The two girls were silent when Sarah came up with an idea, "Do you want me tio take you to Angel?" Buffy smiled, "Sure."  
************************************  
  
The white owl perched on the rooftop, careful not to be seen. He looked at the two girls who left the building and watched them carefully. The owl seemed to smile at the sight.  
************************************  
  
Giles and Angel looked at the book, trying to translate the last passage of the text when Cordielia walked in with two other people, "Guess who I bumped into on the way here!", Cordielia said.  
Angel looked up from the book at the newcomers, "Xander, Willow... what are you doing here?"   
Willow spoke, "we came to offer you help."  
Giles spoke to the two without lifting his eyes "then who is on patrol?"  
"We left that to Oz."  
"Oh, Ok then.", Giles retuned his full attention back to the book.  
  
Doyle walked into the door carrying some bags. "I brought some breakfast. ", he said to the group. He then noticed the new people, "Xander and Willow I presume." The two nodded. Doyle frowned, "I'm sorry but if I knew you were coming I would have gotten you something."   
"That's ok," Willow said, "We ate before we got here."  
  
Doyle smiled and handed out some fruit and mini boxes of cereal to Giles and Cordielia. He threw a container of blood to Angel, "Fresh from the local butcher!"   
Angel caught the container and tasted the contents, "Thanks Doyle."  
  
Doyle looked at the book Giles was studying.   
"Demon reasearch?" he asked the scholar.   
"No, timelines. And it is confusing the heck out of me!"  
"Why?"  
  
Giles pointed to a line of symbols, "I have tried to make sense out of the last passage but can't. It's like this shortage symbol doesn't belong."  
  
Doyle looked at the symbol Giles pointed at. "It's probably because that's not a shortage symbol.", he ventured.  
"What?"  
"What I don't like about this language is that the words are written pretty much the same way," Doyle pointed at the symbol, "The only differences are so minute that it is hard to understand. That's a surplus symbol you are looking at."  
  
Giles thanked Doyle and looked back at the text. He studied it with the new piece of knowledge he received. It made so much more sense now.  
  
Suddenly the color drained from his face as he realized the meaning of the text, "Xander, Willow, go back to Sunnydale and help Oz." the two nodded and ran out the door. When the two were gone, Giles turned to Angel, "We have to find Buffy now!"  
************************************  
  
Sarah and Buffy walked down the street slowly. Buffy wanted to talk to Giles but she figured she could take the time to get to know Cordielia's cousin. She looked at Sarah. She seemed nice enough...   
"So, Sarah, how do you like it in Los Angeles?" Buffy asked hoping to start a conversation.  
  
Sarah looked up thoughtfully, "I like it I guess. I don't have to put up with my step-mom but I do miss my brother."  
  
Buffy listened to the girl's answer. She wondered what it would have been like if her mom remarried and if she had a brother. She looked at Sarah who seemed to have zoned out.  
  
"Sarah?", Buffy asked. Sarah looked at her, "What?"  
"What were you thinking of?"  
Sarah didn't feel like lying or avoiding the question anymore. It was too tiring, "I was thinking about someone."  
Buffy looked interested, "A guy?"  
"Yes."  
"Boyfriend?"  
"No."  
"Wish he were?"  
Sarah didn't answer that. She couldn't answer that question. She herself did not know. "I don't know."  
  
Sarah decided to change the subject a little, "So Buffy, You used to date Angel didn't you?", Sarah asked the slayer.  
"Yes."  
"Why don't you anymore?"  
Buffy sighed, this would be a long story.  
  
Buffy told Sarah all she knew about Angel; when he was an evil vampire, his curse, and how he lost his soul and gained it back. Sarah listened intently.  
"So is that why you no longer see him?"  
"No, he left me."  
"Why?"  
"He said it was for my safety."  
Sarah thought about all of what Buffy said. The Angelus and Angel descriptions seemed so much like Jareth at times, "Do you still love him?"  
"What?"  
"Do you still love him?"  
  
Buffy looked at the young girl in shock. She had not expected this question. She thought about Riley. No, Riley was more of a rebound boy than a lover. She realized something.  
"Yes I do."  
"How can you love him after all the evil things he has done?"  
Buffy started to get defensive, "He had no choice in what he did as Angelus. Besides, its his good side that I love."  
  
Sarah stopped asking questions and walked quietly alongside Buffy. She thought of Angel and Buffy's relationship and then thought of Jareth. Perhaps Jareth had no choice but to take toby when she wished him away. He did give her a chance to win Toby back. She thought about her day in the Labyrinth. Jareth had practically jumped through hoops to make her adventure seem like the ones she had dreamed about.  
  
She sighed. How could she have not realized what he did for her? He had made the Labyrinth challenging, reorganized time, sang for her... She could remember his silky voice belting out the song in the ballroom... Sarah gasped.  
  
Buffy looked at Sarah. She had heard her gasp and thought she had saw something. "Sarah, What's wrong?"   
Sarah looked at Buffy, "That guy I mentioned earlier,......  
I think I love him."  
************************************  
  
Jareth smiled. The game was nearly over. There was only one thing he had to do. He turned into an owl and was about to fly off when he noticed some shadows coming towards the girls.  
************************************  
  
Angel sped his corvette down the street. If Giles was right, then Buffy would need some help.  
************************************  
  
"Hello Slayer." A voice called out from the darkness. Buffy turned around quickly and saw a vampire walk towards her.   
"Hello ugly.", she retorted. She pulled out a stake and spoke to Sarah, "Sarah, get out of here."  
Sarah protested, "I just can't leave you here."  
"Just Go!"  
  
Sarah decided not to argue and turned to leave. She found two very large vampires standing in her way.  
"We don't want you to leave dear," said the vampire who appeared to be the leader, "Stay and watch the fun." With that he signaled to the other vampires. One of the vampires near Sarah grabbed her. She struggled but the vampire was much too strong for her.  
  
"Ok Slayer, here's how it goes, You fight all of us. You win, your friend is free. You lose, you die and your friend is one of us. Got it?" Buffy nodded.  
"Good. Now Lets go."  
  
Buffy watched as a large vampire stepped out of the shadows. "You're uglier than the others!", she exclaimed. The vampire growled and swatted at her. She quickly got out of the way and watched in surprise as the punch intended for her hit a wall and smashed a hole in it. That blow would have easily killed her. She noticed a second vampire come forward. Great. Two Goliaths and only one David.  
  
The screeching of tires soon grabbed the attention of the fighters. Buffy smiled when she recognized Angel's 'game face'. He jumped out of the car after stopping it and ran over to Buffy's aide. After several minutes the two vampires were dust.  
  
Angel looked at the head vampire, "Well if it isn't Dominick!" The other demon smiled, "Nice to see you again Angel." He looked at where the two vampires used to be. He sneered, "Very well, lets see how well you do against my whole army! Guys! Attack them!" At those words, about forty vampires materialized from the shadows.  
  
Sarah felt herself being let go by the large vampire and watched as the vampire joined in on the fight. Tired from the struggling, she lost her balance and quickly fell down. Sitting there, she rooted for Buffy and Angel.  
************************************  
  
Jareth watched, from the rooftop, the fight going on below. Those two looked like they pretty much had it under control. He looked over to where Sarah was and cursed. She was still in harm's way. He morphed and flew down to the street below.  
************************************  
  
Dominick did not like what was going on. Those two had destroyed about half his army! Reluctantly he signaled the retreat. It will take days to replenish the ranks. He looked over to Sarah and smiled an evil grin. He knew which person to start with. He turned to one of his followers, "Grab the girl and bring her to our base!"  
  
Sarah noticed the vampire coming towards her and tried to run. The vampire was too fast.  
  
Angel and Buffy were noticing less and less attackers. Angel stole a glance at Sarah and saw her being dragged away. He turned to Buffy, "Buffy! They're taking Sarah!"  
  
Buffy turned to look at Sarah Struggling withthe bigger vampire. She tried to run to her but got sidetracked by another vampire. She could see Sarah being shoved into a van. A flash of white caught Buffy's attention. She staked the vampire and looked at the white blur. It looked like an owl. She was shocked to see it turn into a man. Seeing that he was running towards the van, Buffy followed quickly.  
************************************  
  
Jareth was running towards the van that he saw the vampire put Sarah in. The vampire looked at the faye and decided to jump him.   
  
Jareth, surprised at the vampire's gull, stopped and made a crystal. He threw the crystal and watched as it hit the vampire and broke, the contents splattered on the demon. The vampire soon screamed in pain as he realized that the crystal had holy water in it. Soon the vampire was gone. Jareth turned towards the van only to see it speed off.   
  
"NO!!!"  
  
Buffy had almost reached Jareth when she saw him change into a white owl and fly off. She stopped. There was no reason to run now. Angel walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and hugged him. Surprised, Angel returned the hug to reassure her.  
************************************  
  
"They took Sarah?!" Cordilia exclaimed. Her apartment became quiet. "Why?" How did you get into that situation anyway?"  
Buffy looked to the floor. She already felt bad and this made her feel worse. "I wasn't expecting vampires this morning."  
  
Giles coughed. "Buffy, it's my fault that you were caught offguard. I misread the manuscript. There is a larger amount of vampires this time of year. I screwed up."  
"You sure did.", Cordielia said coldly, "Now my little cousin is in trouble with vampires and is also being followed by a freak who turns into an owl."  
"I don't understand a lot of this," Buffy interrupted, "Why did the vamps take Sarah with them and not just kill her? Also what was that guy doing there?"  
  
Angel thought of the guy who turned into an owl. Something about him seemed familiar. That crystal he had looked familiar too. Then the answer hit him, "that guy looked an awful lot like the figurine you gave Sara.", he said to Cordilia.  
  
Giles looked interested, "Where is this figurine?"   
"In her room.", Cordielia pointed to Sarah's room. The group got up and walked into Sarah's room.  
Giles inspected the figurine, "Amazing."  
"What?", the group said in unison.  
Giles turned Giles turned around, "This male figure is so much like the illustrations in one of my reference books. He picked up the crystal, "Buffy, you said that the man used a crystal to destroy a vampire...?"  
"Yes"  
Angel looked at the watcher, "What are you getting at?"  
Giles looked thoughtfully at the figurine and crystal. "I believe our mystery man is a faye."  
Buffy looked confused, "So fayes are good creatures right?"  
Doyle looked at the blonde, "Not exactly. Some are good, Some are evil, and some are in-between. We don't know with this guy."  
Giles smiled, "I can find out quickly enough." He reached for the phone.  
************************************  
  
"Oh.Ok...Goodbye.", Willow hung up the phone. Xander looked up from his magazine. "What was that about?", he asked his friend.  
Willow turned to face Xander. "That was Giles and he wants us to look up something for him...  
************************************  
  
The owl landed on the roof of an old warehouse and watched as the van drove inside. The owl turned into human form once more.. Quietly he crept to a skylight and peered in.  
  
There were over twenty vampires inside. The vampire who took Sarah pulled her still struggling form to a support beam. there he bound her hands behind her back and around the beam. Jareth frowned. He had no doubt that with time, he could kill off all those vampires. But he did not believe that Sarah had that time. He needed help.  
  
Jareth turned around and morphed into the owl. He flew off in the direction of Ms. Chase's apartment.  
************************************  
Doyle, Buffy, Cordielia, and Angel looked to Giles as he got off the phone. "Willow found information on our mystery man. He goes by the name of Jareth or by the title of 'the Goblin King'.   
Doyle snickered.   
"What's so funny?", Buffy asked the half-demon.  
"Oh nothing. I was just thinking about how idiotic the goblins must be if they have to go out of their species for a ruler."  
Giles gave him a blank stare, "Anyways... The story is that his job is to take unwanted babies. He then makes the person who wished the baby away to a labyrinth in order to get the child back."  
"But what if the person doesn't get through the Labyrinth?", Buffy asked.  
"The official story is that he turns the baby into a goblin. In reality, the king keeps the baby for about a week before returning it. Just long enough for the guilt to punish the person who wished the child away in the first place."  
"So what is he? Good or Bad?", Angel asked trying to get to the point.  
  
Giles looked at his vampire friend, "Actually this one is in the middle of the extremities. Other than his ability to live forever and his hold on magic, he is quite human."  
Cordielia scoffed, "That's nice and all but can we bring the attention back to my missing cousin?"  
"Cordielia, the reason we are talking about this guy in the first place is that he may know something about Sarah's situation.", Giles explained to the impatient girl. "We just need to find him."  
  
"Or him to find you." a voice said from near the furthest window. Angel spun around at the sound of the voice. Standing in the corner of the room was Jareth.   
Angel stood in a defensive positon.  
  
Jareth's frown remained. Had it been any other situation, he might have been amused. "Oh come now Angel. If I wanted to hurt you I would have done it already.  
"What do you want?", Angel snarled, remembering the feeling he got from Sarah's crystal.  
  
Jareth looked at the demon, "Why the same thing you want... help." Buffy positioned herself between Jareth and Angel. For some reason, the two did not like each other. She did not want any fighting to start until they found Sarah.  
  
"Jareth, it is true we need your help to find Sarah, but why do you need our help? You obviously could handle the vampires easily."  
"I don't want to risk Sarah's life more than I have to."  
  
Cordielia saw the look in Jareth's eyes. It was the same look Angel had when he talked about Buffy. She gasped as she realized the meaning behind that look. The goblin King loved Sarah!  
"Angel, I believe we can trust him.", She said to her employer. Angel relaxed a little.  
  
Jareth forced a smile on his lips, "Good. Let's go save Sarah."  
************************************  
  
Dominick thought about the battle. Where did that tall guy with the strange hair come from? He seemed to have a great control in magic. He seemed more powerful that the usual wizard. Realization hit him. That guy was a Faye! But why did he decide to help fight my personel? Why did he take the time to try and help the girl? He looked at his captive. She didn't look any different from any of the other girls he had taken in the past. Maybe there is something he sees in her. Dominick smiled at the situation. It was perfect.  
************************************  
  
Buffy and Doyle held on as Angel madly sped his corvette down the narrow alley ways. Cordileia wasn't as concerned about Angel's driving . She just didn't want to lose sight of the owl.  
"Right, Angel, right!" She yelled to Angel. Angel made a sharp turn and barely cleared the building to his left.  
  
Buffy looked down at the duffel bag next to Doyle and made a mental check of what was in it. Stakes, crosses, holy water, and crossbows. She hoped that was enough.  
  
Cordielia noticed the owl landing on a building. "Angel, Stop!" Angel slammed the brakes. the four leapt out of the car and walked towards a door. Jareth flew into their path and materialized.  
"What do you think you are doing? You made well enough noise to clue them in to our whereabouts.", Jareth snarled at Angel.  
"Sorry."  
"Sorry? Not as sorry as you'll be if Sarah was hurt due to your recklessness!", Jareth continued.  
Buffy stepped in, "Uhh... do you want to go save Sarah now or maybe later?"  
  
Jareth and Angel glared at each other before walking to the door.  
************************************  
  
Jareth watched as the two girls and two demons hid themselves in the rafters of the warehouse. He looked from behind some crates and scanned the room. Empty. He only could see Sarah. He frowned. This had to be a trap. He sighed.  
Well, one way to find out...  
He walked to Sarah and knealt down beside her. "Sarah.", he said as he gently nudged her, "wake up.'  
Sarah slowly opened her eyes, "Jareth?"  
"Yes,its me."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"To get you out."  
  
Jareth reached for the ropes and untied them. Sarah was very weak and he had to support her weight.  
  
A clapping sound echoed throughout the room. "That was so touching." A light bathed the room and Jareth took a full look at his surroundings. He was definitely outnumbered.  
"What do you want?", Jareth growled.  
"Why isn't it obvious? I want you to give me something in exchange for Sarah's life."  
"What do you want from me? You already have immortality."  
"I want to know how to control faye magic."  
  
Jareth looked at the vampire with disbelief, "You expect me to teach a vampire how to control faye magic? You must be joking."  
The vampire kept a serious face, I am not. I am sure you could walk out of here alive and well but I am not sure of your little friend here.  
  
Jareth positioned himself in front of Sarah. A hard thing to do due to Sarah's weakend condition.  
The vampire smiled at Jareth's reaction, "Fayes, all alike. Thinking that they can solve any problem alone. So predictable."  
  
Jareh carefully lowered Sarah onto the floor. He turned to the vampire, "What is your name?"  
"My name?"  
"Yes."  
"Dominick"  
"Well Dominick, Unfortunately for you I am not like other fayes." At that, four vampires screamed in pain and turned to dust. All that was left were four arrows.   
  
A look of fear came on Dominick's face when he realized what Jareth meant. "We're under under attack!", he yelled.  
  
the other vampires, after hearing the warning looked up to the rafters for the missing attackers. After four more were staked, Angel and Buffy came down to the lower level.  
  
Dominick looked at Jareth in anger, "Just wait. I'll get back at you!" the vampire ran.   
Jareth snarled, "Not if I have any say in this!" He threw a crystal in front of Dominick. A blinding flash of light caused Dominick to stop. Just long enough for Jareth to stake him personally.  
  
Jareth looked to the two warriors behind him. they had taken pretty much good care of themselves during Jareth's confrontation. He saw a vampire sneaking up on Angel. "Look behind you Angel!" He shouted to the demon. Angel turned and dispatched his attacker quickly.  
************************************  
  
Sarah smiled as she packed her suitcase.   
"I hope you will visit again next year." Cordilia said to her cousin.   
Sarah looked up, "You got it." Cordelia walked to the doorway and went around the corner.   
  
Sarah pulled the poster off her wall carefully and placed it in her bag. Humming to herself she went back to empying her dresser. As she went through her dresser, her glance fell upon the figurine. Memories of her adventures here filled her mind.   
  
Jareth had saved her life. She was mad at first thinking that he had caused the problem anyway but Jareth had told her about how he had arranged it for Ms.Summer's business trip to be here in L.A.  
  
She walked to her closet and slowly started going through her clothes. She felt a gentle touch as arms wrapped themselves around her waist. Sarah smiled and squeezed one of the hands in reply.  
  
"How is my future queen?", Jareth asked.  
Sarah turned around and looked into his beautiful mismatched eyes, "I am feeling great now," She hugged him back and felt Jareth run his fingers through her hair.  
"Good.", he whispered. He kissed her gently on the head.  
  
They looked at the Los Angeles skyline throught the window and then looked back at each other.  
Sarah laughed.  
Jareth looked down at his future bride, "What?"  
"I realized what the game was."  
"Really? what is it?"  
"The game of Love."  
"Do you know who won that game?", Jareth teased.  
"Yes I do," Sarah answered. she kissed Jareth on the cheek,   
"We both did."  
  
  
The end....  
  
So what do you think?  
Please review it. :)  



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